


In This Universe

by everythingsshiny



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Eruri Week 2014, M/M, Modern AU, Reincarnation AU, levi remembers erwin doesn't
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-05
Updated: 2015-01-05
Packaged: 2018-03-05 12:22:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3120077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everythingsshiny/pseuds/everythingsshiny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi thinks his dreams about fighting man-eating monsters are nothing more than nightmares. But then he begins to see people from them in the real world. And if some of the people from his dreams are real, maybe all of them are. Maybe even the most important one. </p>
<p>Written for Eruri Week day 6: Reunion</p>
            </blockquote>





	In This Universe

Levi had never thought much of the dreams.

The vividness was disturbing, and he would wake up in a panic with gruesome images imprinted on his memory—images of giant monsters devoured people whole or tearing them apart limb by limb, or of body parts lying bloody on the ground. And Levi would lie in bed and wonder what could possibly be wrong with him to cause such horrific dreams. But nevertheless, they were just dreams. Whatever the cause, it didn’t impact his waking life, and Levi never thought much of them.

Until Petra Ral rang him up at the grocery store.  

Levi thinks at first that she’s a lookalike, nothing more. But she has the same haircut and the same enthusiasm in her eyes and the same slight features and the same sweet smile, and Levi can’t help but feel certain that it’s her.

“That comes to fifty sixty-seven,” she says with a cheerful smile. Then, when Levi gapes instead of paying, says, “Sir?”

“Petra?” Levi asks.

“What? How did you . . .” For a second her eyes go wide, but she relaxes quickly. “Oops, I forgot I had on a nametag for a second. What do you need?”

In one of his most frequent dreams, Petra’s dead at the base of a tree, neck snapped and head hanging back at a gruesome angle. He can’t get that image out of his mind as he looks into her bright, lively eyes.

“Do you . . . remember me?” he asks.

She tilts her head to one side in confusion. “No, I don’t think I do. Do I know you from somewhere?”

Levi double checks her name tag. It says “Petra Ral.”  

“Nothing. I mean, no. You don’t know me.” He takes his groceries and practically runs out of the store.

Two months later, Levi sees Eren. He’s walking down the street wearing a backpack and headphones. Levi calls out his name, and Eren looks up in confusion. He glances over his shoulder, scans the sidewalk for someone he knows, and then, upon not seeing anyone, keeps walking. But Levi feels certain it was Eren all the same.

And Levi begins to freak out.

When he saw Petra, he assumed it was some sort of fluke. A coincidence. Had talked himself out of the possibility of it actually being dream-Petra in every way possible. But now he had seen two of the people who populated his nightmares, and that’s much harder to deny.

When he returns home, Levi goes straight to his laptop. Eren Jaeger isn’t a very common name, so he has little trouble finding Eren’s Facebook page. The profile picture is of the kid he just saw. He’s even wearing the same backpack. Based on his Facebook profile, Eren’s a junior at the local college and a member of the jujutsu team. (Levi’s glad that he’s getting out his aggression in a healthy way.) .  

If Levi’s seen two people from his dreams, same name and all, does that mean that the rest are alive somewhere? Hanji and Mike and the rest of his special ops squad or maybe even Farlan and Isabel?

Or maybe even . . .

Levi opens a new tab and, on a whim, types out one of the names from his dreams. “Hanji Zoe” brings up a long list of results on a Google search. Apparently, Hanji is earning a PhD in evolutionary biology at a prestigious university and has been recognized for various awards. Levi clicks on an article to find a picture of his old friend, grinning their typical crazed smile and accepting a trophy.

Levi sits back and stares. It’s definitely odd to see Hanji in a suit, and in glasses that fit. But much odder by far is the realization that Hanji is _real_ , that they’re alive and could maybe even be met some day.

But would they, like Petra and Eren, have no memory of him? And how the fuck was this even happening, anyway?

It takes some more intensive snooping to find the others. He ends up having to comb twitters and Facebook profiles and Linkedin pages. But he finds them. He finds that Mike is working as a teacher, and Auro is an architect and Erd is in a communications company and Gunter is a mechanic. Farlan is a college senior and Isabel is a senior in a high school. They’re all leading such normal lives. Safe lives. And they’re all real.

He’s spent most of the afternoon searching on his computer, and Levi looks out the window to see that the sun has set. He’s grown hungry, too, but Levi doesn’t want to pull himself away from this search. He’s still feeling jittery, still having trouble believing everything, and he still has one more person to find. Levi hesitates before beginning the search. This man has been in most of his dreams, and the most powerful and recurring ones center on him. The very worst dream is about him, and the very best is, too.

If he doesn’t search, he’ll always wonder. Levi types “Erwin Smith” into his search bar and hits enter.

Erwin is the most difficult to find, of course. That damn common last name doesn’t help. And, by just using social media sites, Levi can’t find him for certain. He narrows it down to a list of four people who hadn’t posted pictures to their Facebooks, but none of those are definite. For all he knows, the real Erwin Smith doesn’t do social media. Or perhaps . . . no. Levi wasn’t going to even think of that.

That night, Levi has a new dream.

*****

_He’s in Erwin’s office. It’s very, very calm. The dreams are usually stressful, chaotic, terrifying. But this is nice. Erwin’s at his desk. Levi’s sitting on the arm of a couch. He’s looking out the window. Occasionally, he looks at Erwin._

_“I’m sorry to keep you waiting, Levi,” Erwin says. “I have one more document to go over, and then I’ll be with you.”_

_“Don’t rush,” Levi says. “This is the only peace and quiet I’ll get all day. Some of the new recruits have asked me to give some advice on using the gear later.”_

_“That’s very nice of you,” Erwin says._

_Levi just shrugs. “Hopefully it’ll keep them alive longer,” he says softly._

_A couple minutes pass in quiet, and then Erwin puts down his pen and turns in his chair to face Levi. “What did you have to report to me?” he asks._

_Levi doesn’t report right away. He looks over at Erwin and leans against the couch back. “You know, when I was a kid, I used to come up with these alternate worlds where I was living a nice, normal life, had lots of food, maybe went to school or something.”_

_Erwin watches him evenly, waiting for him to finish before responding. Levi looks out the window and watches the newest recruits talking with each other in the courtyard. You can always tell who the new recruits are. They smile more readily and talk more eagerly. “Do you ever wonder if there’s an alternate world like that? No titans, no survey corps, just nice, normal lives for all of us.”_

_“I never have wondered that, no,” Erwin says. “Though it is an interesting idea.”_

_“Do you think it’d work then?” Levi asks. He doesn’t explain what he means. Erwin figures it out anyway._

_“Perhaps,” Erwin says. “Though if that were the case, we’d have never found each other.”_

_Levi just shrugs. “I’d find you.”_

_“Would you?”_

_“Yeah.” He looks at Erwin and meets his gaze for just a second before returning to business. “Anyway, I’ve given thought to who I want in my new squad . . .”_

*****

Levi givesit a lot of thought, but really he had already made up his mind.

He works for his father at an auto shop, and he hates everything about it. So it’s not like he’d be leaving much behind. He has enough money stored away for some travel. And after what he apparently survived in his dreams (alternate reality?), he has no doubt about his ability to survive on his own.

One week later, Levi gets on a bus taking him to Indianapolis. The first potential Erwin Smith on his list is a dentist in Indiana.

*****

That Erwin Smith proves to not be the one he remembers, though. Neither is the next one. Or the one after that. Levi enters the office of the fourth potential Erwin Smith with his heart in his throat, convinced that this will be the one—he’s a lawyer, and that’s a job that would suit Erwin perfectly. But Levi finds himself in front of a graying fifty-something with watery brown eyes and absolutely no resemblance to his Erwin.

He doesn’t even bother to exchange a conversation with this Erwin or make up an excuse for why he’s there. Levi merely turns on his heel and walks out of the room. Then he walks out of the building, walks down the street. Continues walking until he has no idea where he is and sits on a bench. That’s it. He’s spent most of his money, he’s been all over the country, and he didn’t find him.

They are, apparently, not meant to be.

Levi leans over and rests his head in his hands. He does have enough for a bus ticket back home. But since he took off without warning, his father’s probably not going to let him back in the shop. He’s not exactly the forgiving type. Levi could apply to work at a local auto shop—he has enough credentials that he should get a job eventually. And he has enough money left for two more nights in his motel while he looks.

Levi sighs. His heart feels sunken to the ground, but it was a fool’s errand anyways, and Levi recognizes that. He can’t expect a wild goose chase for someone he’s only dreamt about to yield any results.

So Levi gets up, returns to his motel, and uses the phone book there to make a list of local auto shops to inquire into.

His search for work begins the next day. Levi has to walk to all of them, with no money to spare for a cab or public transportation. After an unsuccessful day of looking for a job, Levi finds himself exhausted, feet calloused against his shoes. He sees a bench on his way back just outside an office park and collapses into it. That’s one day gone. One more night remaining in his motel, and he’ll be on the streets. And he can’t even find energy to get off the bench and return to his room.

It’s five, and the offices in front of him are emptying out little by little. Levi watches blankly as the mass of suits swarm to the parking garage or the street or down the stairs of a nearby subway station, cursing each one of them and their comfortable jobs.

And there he is.

Erwin Smith. _His_ Erwin Smith.         

Erwin’s wearing a neat navy blue suit, and he looks healthier than ever, and he has both his arms and he’s beautiful. Levi watches as if in a trance as he joins the herd of people leaving work and heads down the steps to the subway.

And then Levi’s running, callouses forgotten. He weaves among the workers, squeezing through ever little opening in the crowd until he’s in the subway station. When a security guard turns away, he vaults over the turnstile. Then Levi tries to follow that familiar blond head down the stairs, but the crowds are packed tightly here, and there’s no room to push past anyone. Levi reaches the train platform just as he sees train doors close behind Erwin’s back.

But he’s seen him. He’s here. He’s _real._

*****

Levi’s back the next day.

He spent most of the day searching for work again, but when Erwin leaves his office Levi’s waiting on the bench, subway ticket already in hand. He manages to get closer to Erwin this time, the better to keep track of him in the crowded subway station.

Erwin wears a black suit today. He stares ahead while he waits for the train, occasionally glancing at the faces of his neighbors or at the time. At one point his eyes flick over Levi’s face, but there’s no hint of recognition. Levi’s a little disappointed at that, but what did he expect? No one else had recognized him. Though Levi had hoped Erwin would be different.

There’s a reunion that Levi keeps thinking about, one that’s part of his series of dreams. Erwin had been jailed for a while, Levi off on other missions. They had reunited unexpectedly, and then . . . it’s the only good dream Levi has from that world. He knows it’s unlikely, but Levi had hoped this reunion would be similar.

The train pulls into the station. Erwin steps aboard, and Levi enters on the other end of the same car.

Once inside, Erwin takes out a book. Levi can’t see what it is from where he stands, though it looks thick. Erwin holds open the book with one hand and steadies himself on a pole with the other. Good thing he has both arms now. Perhaps if he hasn’t lost an arm, that means he’s safe from any major harm in this world.

But what if he isn’t?

Erwin’s on the train for nine stops. Levi has nine stops to approach him. He doesn’t.

Then Erwin gets off, and Levi follows him. He walks a few blocks behind Erwin, thinking that he’ll approach Erwin soon . . . soon . . . as soon as he rounds that corner . . .

Erwin disappears into an apartment building. Levi’s left behind.

*****

Levi watches for Erwin again the following day.

He doesn’t have anywhere to stay that night. The last thing he should be spending his money is on a train ticket to stalk this man who looks like his old commander. But he spends his money on that regardless.

Levi watches him on the train again. It’s a long ride, but Levi doesn’t feel he needs to take anything with him to entertain himself. He just watches Erwin. Whole, alive, unburdened. Beautiful. And so close.

Erwin gets off the train. Levi follows him from a block behind.

But again, Levi doesn’t approach him, and again Erwin disappears into his building. Levi stands outside the door for a while, looking at it, imagining the life Erwin has here. It’s part of a brick row of apartments, classy-looking places with bay windows. It’s a nice neighborhood. Levi’s glad he lives in a nice neighborhood.

Levi steps up to his front door. Hesitates. Almost turns around again. Definitely would have turned around if he wasn’t down to his last penny. But he has nothing to lose now. So he presses the button that’s labeled “Smith” and waits.

After a moment that feels like an hour, Erwin opens the door. And Levi’s mind goes blank, all speech stuck in his throat.

Erwin’s gaze is still as powerful as it was in the dreams, and the blue in his eyes is more vivid, if possible. He looks down at Levi, and Levi flashes back to when there was heat in those deep blue eyes, when Erwin would look at Levi like he was the only thing in the room.

“Yes?” he says. It’s the first time Levi’s heard Erwin speak outside of his dreams. Levi’s voice catches in his throat, and he can’t respond.

“Can I help you?”

“I . . .” _I followed you into hell and back time and time again. I’ve known you more intimately than I’ve known anyone and I watched you at the very end. And here you are. Alive and whole again._

But he can’t say any of that, so Levi fumbles for a plausible excuse. “I’m . . . collecting money . . . for homeless children,” he says.

“I see. Well, I can certainly give to a good cause like that.” Erwin reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a wallet. Levi stares at his fingers as he opens it and rifles through the bills. He stares at Erwin’s jaw and hair and eyes. “How does twenty sound?”

“Good, that’s good,” Levi says. He’s forgotten what they were talking about.  

Erwin pulls the bill out and hands it over. “You seem somewhat familiar,” he says. “Do I know you?”

Levi stops breathing. “Do you? I mean, you look familiar too.”

“So we must know each other from somewhere, hm? What’s your name?”

“Levi,” he breathes. “Levi Ackerman. What’s yours?”

“Erwin Smith. Can’t say I recognize the name. Perhaps you simply look like someone I know. In any case, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Yeah. Pleasure.” Erwin holds out a hand, and Levi takes it to shake. He grasp is warm and solid and over much too quick.

“Well, good luck with your fundraising, Levi.”

Levi loves how Erwin’s voice sounds when he says his name.

“Thanks,” he says to the closing door.

*****

With Erwin’s contribution added to his remaining funds, Levi can spend another night in his motel room. But that uses up his last penny, and he has to skip meals the following day. He needs to get a job asap.

Levi spends yet another day inquiring after work, walking from one end of town to the other. He’s finally taken on at an auto shop at the edge of town as a temporary replacement for someone who’s traveling. It’s enough. The first payment will be at the end of the week, so he’ll only have to spend a few nights on the street.

His walk back to a safer neighborhood takes him into the business district, but it’s too late to watch for Erwin. He would already be home by now. Levi sits down on his normal bench regardless. He’s tired, and he feels weird after a day of not eating, and he just needs a moment to rest. Maybe he’ll sleep on this bench tonight. Use the backpack he’s carrying, which contains all his possessions, as a pillow.

Levi’s dreamt about living on the streets, but he’s never done it in this life. He remembers just enough to know that he never wants to do it again. Levi leans back into the bench and sighs, feels his eyelids start to droop as the weariness begins to set in. Sleeping on the bench is starting to sound like a great idea. It’d beat being conscious.

Just before he drifts off to sleep, a voice comes from behind him. “How is your fundraising going?”

Levi jumps awake, twists around to see Erwin Smith standing behind him.

“W-what?”

“I’m sorry, did I startle you?”

“No, I . . . no.”

“Mind if I sit?”

“. . . sure.”

Levi watches Erwin cross around the bench, heart still beating fast from being startled. Then Erwin’s sitting next to him, close enough to touch. He could reach out right now . . .

“What brings you here?”

“Asking donations from businesses,” Levi lies. 

“Any luck with that?”

“A little,” Levi says. “Why are you here?”

“I work near here.”

“Until seven?”

“Ah, is it seven?” Erwin glances down at his watch as if surprised by the news. “I stayed late to finish some work.”

Levi smiles a little at that. Erwin always stayed up late to finish work in the last life. It makes him feel better to know that this much hasn’t changed.

“I suppose I should go home, then,” Erwin says.

“Probably,” Levi agrees. He wishes he could beg to follow him.

“Are you done with your shift?”

Levi considers what would be most realistic for his made-up job. “Yes.”

“Would you like to grab some dinner with me? I know of a small café just around the corner that’s really excellent.”

“Ah, um, I can’t.” Levi wants to with every bone in his body, but he has no money for a meal.

“Are you sure? I’ll treat.”

Levi looks away to consider. Who treats a complete stranger? Was Erwin flirting with him? Could he possibly be that lucky? Whatever his motivation, it was a chance to have a meal with Erwin, and Levi could not pass that up.

“Okay, sure,” he says.

Erwin smiles. He didn’t smile much in the last life. It’s lovely.

“The café’s just around this way,” he says. “Let me show you.” And Erwin stands and starts walking. In a daze, Levi follows him.

The café is small, brightly lit, subtly furnished. He and Erwin are seated across from each other in a booth. Erwin wears a dark gray suit today, and a green tie that makes Levi think about the bolo Erwin wore in the other life.

They order, and then Erwin’s asks Levi how he got involved in his fundraising efforts. Levi responds by making up a brief story and then asking Erwin what he does. He doesn’t want to speak much—everything he says will have to be a lie, anyway. He just wants to hear Erwin and enjoy being with him again, even if it’s just for a short while.

Erwin works in finance. He’s been promoted quickly, though Erwin doesn’t want to get cocky by assuming that will continue. And he was initially from Boston, but moved for his job, and he has a dog, and Levi wonders how he could ever fit into Erwin’s perfectly full life.

Levi orders a large sandwich—it seems like the most food for the lowest price. He wants to be careful to not take advantage of Erwin’s offer to pay. Levi tries to eat slowly, but he ends up wolfing down the food, his stomach crying out for every ounce of nutrition it can get.

“You must be hungry,” Erwin comments. “Canvassing for donations must be very exhausting.”

Levi swallows down the last bite of his sandwich. “Yeah,” he says.

Erwin smiles. “Would you like some dessert? They make wonderful pie here.”

Levi doesn’t want to take too much of Erwin’s money, but he is offering. And Levi does need to eat as much as he can now because he doesn’t know when or if he’s going to eat again. “Sure.”

“Excellent.” Erwin calls over their waitress orders two slices of apple pie. Once she leaves, Erwin turns back to Levi and says, “You know, I still have the very distinct sense that I’ve seen you before.”

Levi’s heart rate quickens, but he makes an effort to not show it. “Yeah?”

“Yes. You know who you remind me of?”

“Who?” It’s barely a whisper.

“A man who has followed me home twice.”

And Levi’s heart drops. Erwin doesn’t remember him, as Levi had hoped. Erwin had just seen him on the train.

“I didn’t get a good look at you the first day you followed me home. And the following day, when you came to my door, I didn’t quite remember who you were. But something seemed very off. See, usually when people come door-to-door collecting for charities, they have things with them. An envelope to put the money in, pamphlets explaining their organization, and such.”

Levi wants to protest, to come up with some kind of believable explanation, but there’s nothing he can say. He’s found Erwin, and Erwin thinks he’s some kind of criminal.

“When I saw you on the bench today, things fell into place,” Erwin continues. “I’d seen you on that bench before, the first day you followed me, and I merely needed to see you there again to jog my memory.”

“So you wanted to have dinner with me just to gloat that you’d figured it out?”

“No, merely to learn a little more. And I did. You dodged most of my personal questions, kept the conversation focused on me, and gave brief and generic responses whenever possible. That confirmed my suspicions that you’re involved in something you don’t want me to know about, most likely something illegal.”

Levi should have expected this. Erwin always stayed two steps ahead of everyone. “So what conclusion have you reached now?” he asks.

“I could also see from how quickly you ate,” Erwin continues. “That you clearly haven’t had a full meal in quite some time. So I also learned that you’re down on your luck.”

The waitress returns with their pie. They fall into silence until she leaves, appraising each other across the table.

“So, what? You’re feeding me and then you’ll call the cops?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” Erwin says calmly. “But I certainly will if I suspect you mean further harm to me or anyone else. After all, you did commit fraud to get money from me. That’s very solid grounds to have you arrested.”

“And if you don’t call the cops, what then?”

Erwin takes a bite of his pie before replying. “That depends,” Erwin says. “Why don’t you tell me the truth? The real truth, this time.”

“And after that you’ll have me arrested?”

“Probably. But maybe I won’t. Either way, I’m very curious. And please, eat. I am paying for that pie.”

Levi glares down at the pie and stabs it with his fork. It is delicious when he tastes it. He closes his eyes for a second to focus on the taste—perhaps the only sweet thing he’ll have before being sent to prison—and then begins.

“The truth is that I’m looking for someone. You happen to look exactly like him,” Levi says. He’s telling half-truths, staying as close to reality as he can without sounding insane. A complete lie might work better, but he doesn’t trust himself to come up with anything good right now. At least not anything that will fool Erwin. “I saw you a few days ago as you were walking from your office to the train, and I thought that maybe you were him. That’s why I followed you the next day. And why I rang your doorbell the day after that.”

“You still weren’t sure after having followed me once?”

“I thought that it was you—I mean that you were him. I was certain when I rang the doorbell, and I realized my mistake when you opened the door.”

“So you had to come up with a lie when I did open it.”

“Yes. I won’t say I didn’t need the money, but I didn’t come to your home with the intention of tricking you.”

“Who is this man that you’re looking for?”

“He’s . . . an old boyfriend.” He almost says an old boss. He’s not sure why he didn’t.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“You have no phone number? No address or friends or family of his to contact?”

“. . . no.”

“Must have been a bad break-up.”

“No, it’s not like that.”          

“And why haven’t you eaten recently, Levi?”

Levi sighs, knowing that this will make him look even worse. “I came to this city hoping to find him. I didn’t, and then I ran out of money. I have to keep some of it away for a bus ticket home and for a motel room, so I decided to skip some meals.” He didn’t want to let Erwin know just how desperate his pathetic situation was.

“You spent your last cent trying to find this old boyfriend?”

“Yes.”

Erwin thinks for just a second, and then says, “Finish your pie.”

“What?”

“Finish your pie. I want to leave shortly.”

Levi takes two more bites before asking, “Are you going to call the cops on me now?”

“I’m still thinking about it,” he says before waving the waitress over and asking for the check.

They don’t exchange any more words as Erwin pays and Levi shovels down the last of his pie. It’s lost all its taste and seems to stick in his throat. Levi would have been disappointed to not find Erwin, but this feels somehow worse. Erwin is so close, and Levi will never be able to touch him.

When he’s finally finished, Erwin stands and says, “Come with me. If you try to run, I will call the police.”

Levi wants to protest, but it would be pointless. Erwin has a plan now, and Levi knows he’s probably already thinking through all the possible moves Levi could make. So he follows Erwin out of the café blindly, just as he followed Erwin so many times in the other life.

They approach the subway station descend down the steps. Erwin first swipes his pass to enter the station and then hands it over the turnstile for Levi to use. He then leads Levi onto a train, a different one than the one Erwin uses to go home. Erwin chooses a seat in the middle of the car, and Levi stands in front of him.

“Where are you taking me?” Levi asks.

“To the bus station. I’m buying you your ticket on the condition that you leave town tonight.”

“Getting me out of town so I can be a criminal without bothering you?”

“I don’t think you’re a criminal,” Erwin says. “But if this old boyfriend didn’t leave any contact information, he clearly doesn’t want you to speak with him. And you need help with the bus ticket home regardless.”   

Levi snorts. “So this is all altruistic?”

Erwin gives a little half smile and looks Levi over. It reminds Levi of the look Erwin had when they first met, back in the Underground. “Not at all,” Erwin says. “See, I feel honor-bound to ensure that you won’t trick or manipulate anyone else. I know, logically, that I should contact the authorities. But I’d much rather take care of you myself. For whatever reason, you interest me, Levi.”

“Honored,” Levi mutters.

They ride the train three stops into the center of the city. Levi doesn’t look at Erwin during the ride. He doesn’t want to his last memories of Erwin to be Erwin looking at him with disgust.

They arrive at their stop, exit the train and approach the bus station. Inside, Erwin strides up to a ticket counter to purchase Levi’s ticket. Levi glances over it—his home town, one-way trip—before following Erwin deeper into the station.

The bus terminals are all in an underground hallway with brick walls and yellow tiled floors. It’s crowded with people and luggage, but despite the crowd the air carries a chill.

“This is your terminal,” Erwin says. “The bus will be leaving in fifteen minutes.”

“Got it,” Levi says. He still hasn’t really looked at Erwin.

“Well, this has certainly been an interesting evening. Safe travels, and I hope to not see you again in this city.”

Levi doesn’t respond. He waits until he’s sure Erwin’s left, and until after someone shouts an announcement that boarding is about to begin, before turning around for one last look.

Erwin’s striding down the hallway, tall and proud as always. And Levi remembers a dream, the worst dream he’s ever had.

In that dream, Erwin walks away from him just like he is now. He kneels down at the other end of a yard while a firing squad takes aim, and Levi can do nothing but watch.

He had known then that it was the last time he would ever see Erwin. But in this life he has another chance.       

Levi runs.

He catches up to Erwin just as Erwin’s about to exit the bus station. “Erwin, wait,” he calls out. In desperation, Levi grabs Erwin’s hand. “Wait,” he says again, panting a little.  

Erwin turns around, eyes wide and mouth gaping open. He’s more surprised than Levi’s ever seen him, in this life or the other one. It scares Levi, and he prepares himself for Erwin to lash out.

Erwin snatches his hand away and holds his fist up against his chest. He takes a step back, still staring at Levi. “What . . . was that?” he says.

“I’m sorry, I just . . .” Levi’s mind scrambles to find a decent excuse.

“What did you do to me?”

“I just . . . I need to tell you something else . . .”

“What are those images?”

“What images?” Levi glances over his shoulder, looks from side to side, trying to see what he’s missed.

Instead of answering, Erwin holds out his hand to Levi. “Do that again,” he says.

“Do what again?”

“Take my hand.”

Levi’s not sure what’s happening, but Erwin hasn’t thrown him away yet. So he carefully presses his fingers onto Erwin’s palm.

Erwin remains still for two seconds, and then he yanks his hand away again. “What are you doing?” he asks.

“I . . . I don’t know,” Levi breathes. He’s starting to get some idea, but no . . . no, that wouldn’t make any sense.

“I’m seeing images . . .”

“. . . of giants?” Levi asks, hopeful.

“Yes. And people in green cloaks . . .”

“And walled cities?”

“Yes, yes, and . . . you.”

Levi’s heart stops. “Yeah?”

“Levi.” And Erwin is looking at him like it’s the first time they’ve ever laid eyes on each other.

“Yeah,” Levi breathes.

“I’m the old boyfriend.”

“Yeah.”

“But what . . .” Erwin reaches out his hand as if to touch Levi, but hesitates. “What’s happening? What am I remembering?”

“Uh, alternate universes. I think,” Levi says.

“That’s . . .” Erwin gives a breath of a laugh. Shakes his head slowly.

“Yeah, it’s . . .” It’s what? What could possibly be said to describe this? And, if Erwin remembers and is looking at him in wonder instead of contempt, what does it even matter?

“And you found me,” Erwin says.

“I did.”

“Across universes.”

“I thought that maybe . . .”

“Without the war . . .”

“We could . . . yeah.”

Erwin reaches out a hand again, and now he does touch Levi. He rests his palm against Levi’s cheek. It’s warm, so warm that even the soles of his feet tingle at the touch. Levi leans his head into the palm, and Erwin brings up his other hand to brush some of Levi’s hair out of his face.

They’re blocking the entrance to the bust station. Neither of them really notices or cares.

“Levi,” Erwin says. His tone is soft, gentle as the fingers trailing through his hair and down his face. “Levi.”

Levi just gives him a smile, and then they kiss, as naturally as if that’s what they’re meant to do.

And it’s better than anything Levi could have dreamed of.  

**Author's Note:**

> Felt a little shaky about this because I did it rather quickly. I had initially hoped to do at least two one-shots for eruri week but, ya know. Life got in the way. It's hard to be productive during holidays. Anyway, hope this was enjoyable regardless!
> 
> (I'd like to now make the commitment that [Four Years Later ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1743395/chapters/3722543) will get it's next chapter finished before this week is over. Someone hold me to that.)


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